Health Food Reviews

When I first tried ghee, I thought it was horrifyingly bad. So bad that I was certain I’d never touch it again.

I am a complete and total Ghee addict.

So how did I get from bullet point number 1 to bullet point number 2? I tried a different ghee!

As someone who has to eat gluten-free, I read a lot of Paleo articles, use Paleo cookbooks, and stalk the Paleo crowd on social media. While I don’t follow the Paleo diet exclusively, I do incorporate it into my cooking and eating. Paleo cooking uses A LOT of ghee, so I figured it’d be worthwhile to simply try a different brand rather than completely throw ghee out the back door (something that my store-bought ghee had me tempted to do).

What a difference a label makes! Seriously, I cannot even begin to figure out how Ancient Organics Ghee gets it so deliciously right when other ghees get it so frightfully wrong.

Maybe the description below will give us a little insight…

Product Description from Ancient Organic’s Amazon Page:

Ancient Organics Ghee is a premium cooking oil celebrated for its taste, nutritional benefits, and medicinal qualities—it is unlike any other ghee on the market today. Our Ghee is hand-crafted over an open flame and made in small batches, ensuring you will always get the freshest Ghee. With an uncompromised commitment to quality and an obsessive attention to detail, we guarantee you won’t find a more pure, better tasting Ghee. Ghee is the complete distillation of butter— the end result of a long, slow, careful clarification process that removes all the moisture, lactose and casein, making it completely shelf stable AND a perfect choice for people who are lactose intolerant. The difference between Ghee and clarified butter lies in their flavor and shelf stability: Ghee is superior on both counts Ayurveda recognizes ghee as an essential part of a balanced diet and is considered to be the very best oil one can eat. It has been used for centuries as a digestive and elimination aid, for energy, sexual vitality, skin and eye health, as a lubricant for the joints and for alkalizing the blood. Comprised of full spectrum short-, medium-, and long-chain fatty acids, Ghee contains Omega 3 and Omega 9 essential fatty acids along with vitamins A, D, E and K. Our Ghee is one of the highest natural sources of CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) because we use only the highest quality organic butter of pastured cows. Our golden Ghee has a delicious caramelized and nutty taste that will enhance the flavor of any culinary creation. It has one of the highest flash points (485ºF) and it is simply the best choice for high temperature cooking. Substitute our Ghee for olive oil, butter or vegetable oil in or on anything from soups, potatoes, rice and vegetables, with eggs, pancakes, oatmeal, smoothies or popcorn—the possibilities are truly endless. Try it—you will love it!

What is Ghee?

Ghee is a healthy alternative to cooking – far better than vegetable oil. Ayurveda, the ancient medical science of India, recognizes Ghee as a very important part of a healthy diet. It also considers ghee to be the best fat one can eat.

Ghee is as easy to implement in your cooking and eating as it gets. Use it in place of olive oil, vegetable oil, or butter. Ancient Organics Ghee is so delicious we even have an after-dinner routine we’ve followed for over a year. We spread a little ghee on a small square of dark chocolate, then sprinkle Pink Himalayan Salt on top.

It is outrageously delicious. Trust me.

Eggs fried in ghee are also out of this world good. The high-temperature quality of ghee performs beautifully in sautes and stir fries.

I’ve even added a little ghee to soups and oatmeal and found that it gives a rich flavor that brings out the best in every other flavor.

Heck, it even takes popcorn up a couple of notches. Last summer I popped some popcorn for an afternoon baseball game. Instead of melting butter, which I’ve done for popcorn for 112 years, I reached for the ghee and melted a tablespoon of it. OMG. I have not used butter for popcorn since.

But here’s the thing – it has got to be Ancient Organics Ghee. Has. Got. To. Be. The rest I’ve tried are nowhere near as good. I can’t explain it but I can darn sure taste it. This particular brand occasionally runs out on Amazon (which tells you all you need to know about how great it is). Before we learned to stock up, we’d every now and then find “not available” or “In stock on… (insert later date)” on the Amazon page. This led to the need to order other brands and/or experiment with store-bought ghee.

Seriously – they don’t even taste like the same thing!

I hope you’ll try as soon as you can. You’re going to love it. If one size is temporarily sold out, buy the other size. If you get a “In stock on..” message, throw it in your cart and wait!

Yes, it’s costlier than some other ghees, but it is infinitely worth it.

One of my absolute favorite flavors in the world is coconut. It has been since I was knee-high and used to raid my mom’s bags of flaked coconut. She started buying extra – one for me to “find and raid” and one she kept safely hidden in a higher cabinet to use for baking.

Until I learned to climb.

Although I don’t have to work so hard for it these days, I love coconut today as much as I did then. I noticed something fairly recently – there is an explosion of coconut-flavored goodies…. about darn time!

The new dreams come true for coconut-lovers shown here were sent to me in exchange for telling you all about them. I jumped at the chance like I used to jump on the counter for a coconut raid.

Brooklyn Organics Coconut Craft Ginger Ale is a highly unique and beautifully beverage for anyone looking for a light flavor of coconut, but also a bold fizz. USDA Organic-certified and gently sweetened with plant-based Stevia, Brooklyn Organics is made with ingredients that are good for you andfor the planet.

The fact that it’s so darn delicious makes it even sweeter.

Another excellent soft drink alternative is Sparkling Ice Coconut Pineapple – a slightly carbonated bottled beverage with B-Vitamins, Vitamin D and antioxidants. Nutrients you would never expect to come in a bottled beverage. The fact that it contains Zero Calories, Zero Carbs, is Gluten Free, and Sodium Free are icing on the cake. NO calories. Love that in a beverage.

Sparkling Ice bottled waters are the best way to wean yourself (or your kids) off of bottled soft drinks. This particular Sparkling Ice is a personal favorite. It’s beautifully tropical and downright addictive.

Munk Pack has come out with delicious and convenient on-the-go nutrition with their Raspberry Coconut Oatmeal Fruit Squeezes. I have to admit, before trying one I wasn’t sure whether I’d like it or not. I mean I LOVE coconut, raspberry, and oatmeal.. three of my obsessions, if we’re being honest. I just wasn’t sure how they’d play together – plus, the thought of oatmeal from a squeeze pouch instead of a bowl with butter sort of blew my little mind. But I’m a gamer, so I tried it and was honestly speechless. My first thought was, “This honestly shouldn’t be this good. It has no right to be this delicious.”

I mean, oatmeal in a pouch… room temp??? The thought still blows my mind, but here’s the thing – these are outrageously delicious. The predominant flavors are raspberry and coconut, in that order. They’re healthy, convenient, and darn tasty – meaning they’ll make the perfect snacks for you or your kids. The fact that they’re in convenient, throw them away when you’re finished packets adds an extra touch of happiness.

Munk Pack also makes a wonderful gluten-free Coconut White Chocolate Macadamia Protein Cookie that’s just as delicious. Convenient to throw into lunch boxes, these cookies have a phenomenal coconut flavor that makes you think you’re eating a fresh coconut on an island in the Pacific… with white chocolate macadamia thrown in just to blow your mind.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how much I love that. Seriously – each bite, out of this world.

These cookies would be excellent at Christmas – for eating AND stocking-stuffers.

Last, but by far from least, Carrington Farms has come up with something I love – a NEW Premium MCT Oil made from Organic Coconuts. Unlike conventional coconut oil, this premium MCT coconut oil remains in a convenient liquid form that can be used for cooking, sautéing, and baking. It contains over 93% Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) and is easily digestible.

I use coconut oil and olive oil for all of my cooking and baking and I’m really excited to see this from Carrington Farms. I love that it’s made from organic coconuts and the fact that it’s in a liquid form.

I love soup like very few people love soup. I love to make soup… I love to eat soup. Over the years, I’ve experimented with my favorite soups and have hit upon what may well be the most delicious vegetable beef soup of all time.

Soups like this are kind of tough to give accurate recipes for for a few reasons:

Everyone’s favorite veggies differ. Where I add a crazy amount of asparagus, you may choose carrots. I won’t judge.

I don’t write anything down when making soup. I just go with makes sense to me whatever seems right at the time. Hmmm, sounds a lot like the way I live my life, but that’s another story.

However, I’ll give you the basics, along with a few secrets for making the best Vegetable Beef Soup you ever dove into.

I always start with a large can (or two if I’m making an obscene amount) of tomato juice. I’ve used V8 juice before and it was delicious, I just personally prefer tomato juice. What can I say? I’m simple.

Ground chuck is the most flavorful way to go, in my opinion, but Grass-Fed Ground Beef is also great. When you brown the beef, just be sure to season it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

While I love onions, when it comes to soup that I know will be warmed-up and enjoyed the next day, I either use shallots, scallions instead of yellow or white onions. They have less of an attitude and don’t try to take center stage. Put another way, they play well with others. Essential in soups…. and salads, for that matter.

I use either a frozen vegetable mix or cans for the bulk of my veggies. It isn’t about cost and it certainly isn’t about laziness (I live in the kitchen, so a little extra effort doesn’t phase me). It’s all about flavor. When you eat soup that’s composed of huge chunks of vegetables, you get just that in each spoon – a huge chunk of a vegetable and some of the liquid. Maybe some meat if it fits. However, if you use the small pre-cut veggies, many fit onto the spoon at once -giving you layers of flavor in each bite. I dig layers of flavor like Scooby Doo digs Scooby Snacks.

Toward the end of cooking time, tossing in a little torn kale is a boost of both flavor and nutrients. However, be warned that if you toss it in too soon (and for sure if you’ll be eating leftovers), the lovely green kale will not stay lovely or even green.

Also, toward the end of cooking, I love to toss in asparagus. First of all, prepare the asparagus by snapping off the end (opposite the pretty little tip, of course) – take the asparagus in your hands and “feel” where the asparagus wants to naturally bend. It’s at this spot you want to snap… yes, even if it seems like a generous amount is coming off. Better that than bite into tough asparagus. Then, cut each asparagus spear into thirds and pop them all into the soup and stir.

Okay, this is where you’re going to just have to trust me… At the end of the cooking process, stir in a jar of Basil Pesto. O.M.GEE. It takes a delicious soup and makes it otherworldly delicious. When I first tried it, I did so because I wanted to have a little element of Italian flavor. Since then, I do it simply because the flavor is of the addictive variety.

As for seasonings and flavors, I add salt/pepper/garlic powder/red pepper flakes/parsley to just about everything I make, and soup is no exception. If you add the jar of basil pesto at the end (and you should, you really really really should), you really won’t need much more seasoning than the ones mentioned. Also, although I took a picture before I did the deed this time, shredded Parmesan on top of the production is delicious.

Okra is a necessity if your making the best vegetable beef soup possible. I buy frozen, but I’d imagine fresh would be great, too.

This one isn’t a necessity, it’s just how I (personally) roll: I love to have something in my bowl that I serve my soup over. Why? No idea. It’s just one of my many, many quirks that I have (at this point in life) learned to embrace. Quirks are spouses… you can’t always explain them, but you can surely embrace them. My favorite “beds” for soup are pasta, mashed potatoes (use instant if you darn well feel like it), or rice. More about pasta in a minute, but each of these make the soup even more filling and give you that extra “bite” you might be looking for.

Delicious New Gluten-Free Spaghetti I’m Excited About

I was recently sent a couple of boxes of Explore Cuisine Gluten-Free pasta in exchange for telling my food blog readers about them. The first one I tried was the one you see here, Explore Cuisine Chickpea Spaghetti. It was the PERFECT accompaniment to the Vegetable Beef Soup…. especially with the Pesto stirred in.

The first thing I noticed about the Chickpea Spaghetti, after cooking it, was that it is beautifully fat – like my favorite spaghetti noodles of old. Forget that skinny pasta, especially when it comes to serving with chili or soup, it has got to be FAT and this Chickpea Spaghetti is beautifully fat. I also loved that it didn’t clump together the way a lot of spaghetti noodles do. In fact, there was zero clumping and that floated my boat but good.

The moment of truth, of course, was after tasting the pasta…. it was phenomenal. No strong flavor of chickpea at all, which is what I was initially concerned about. Sure, I love chickpeas but I don’t want them disguising themselves as pasta and trying to trick me. The pasta is just outstanding and I plan to buy it regularly. It was spot on perfect with this soup and I’m just as anxious to try it with a great marinara sauce, in a cold spaghetti pasta salad, and (before the season gets away) with chili.

Explore Cuisine products are all vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO and made from organic ingredients. Loaded with protein, iron, and fiber, these pastas are the perfect alternative to other glutinous pastas. If you’re gluten-free, vegan, or simply health-conscious, I hope you’ll check out their lines of pasta. I’ll be reviewing another one of their pastas in a few days. I simply cannot say enough great things about Explore Cuisine. I’m beyond excited to try EACH and every one of their products asap.

A while back on the food blog, I wrote a glowing Montana Mex Seasoned Salts review. I still use them daily and love them wildly. If you aren’t familiar with these world-rocking salts, read the review – then try them for yourself. They’re found, conveniently, on Amazon.

It turns out Montana Mex has more than just badass seasoned salts. They also bottle their badassery. Because I’m one lucky food blogger, I received a bottle of their Extra Virgin Olive Oil to review. I will also be reviewing a few of their other better-than-they-have-a-right-to-be condiments in a follow up post.

But let’s stick with this addictive, smooth and flavorful EVOO for now – as it deserves our full attention. See the picture above? If you see a photo of something I’ve reviewed, pictured alongside the product I bought on my own, you know it was a huge hit. I ordered my own bottle before my review bottle even ran out!

Montana Mex Avocado Oil is a 100% natural, cold pressed, extra virgin avocado oil with omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. Not only is it (naturally) gluten free, it’s non-gmo verified and kosher certified to boot. See the words “… with high levels of antioxidants” on the front of the bottle? Yeah, I’m crazy wild about that.

‘Cold pressed’ simply means that all the goodness is still inside. It has not been treated or heated. The avocados are simply handpicked, mashed and then pressed to give you nutrient rich avocado oil.

It is ideal for frying eggs – which I then season with one (or a combo) of the seasoned salts (Chile Seasoned Sea Salt, Sweet Seasoned Sea Salt, Picante Seasoned Sea Salt). I have always loved a mixture of butter and EVOO when frying eggs. The butter brings the flavor to the party, while the EVOO keeps the butter from embarrassing itself. This beautiful Avocado Oil doesn’t need any butter, thank you very much, as it has plenty of flavor on its own.

I also love this Avocado Oil for sauteing onions and other vegetables. It gives them an extra subtle flavor that brings out their best.

One of my favorite ways to cook chicken strips is to marinate them in a mixture of Italian Dressing, honey, and lime juice for a few hours. Then I fry them in an iron skillet with a little olive oil. Montana Mex’s Avocado Oil gives these strips even more flavor. Somehow the lime and honey (two of my personal culinary obsessions) work with the avocado oil in a way they don’t work with any other oil. The flavor combo is like a match made in culinary Heaven.

Vinaigrettes – This is a fun and tasty new way to add excitement to your tired old vinaigrette recipe.

Drizzled on top of vegetables before roasting, it gives them an extra layer of flavor.

When I made a huge taco salad a few weeks ago, I drizzled a little Montana Mex Avocado Oil in a dish and added a little lime zest and fresh black pepper. It made a delicious dip for heated tortillas.

Basically, I use it anywhere I typically use EVOO. The above are just a few that come to mind (because I make them so often).

Why I have this review listed under “Christmas Gift Guide Ideas”

Foodies and cooks get a special kind of excited when we receive gift baskets filled with new ingredients, foods, condiments, etc. Placing something unique and extra cool like Montana Mex Avocado Oil (as well as their salts and condiments) in a bag with colorful dishtowels or a great looking set of salsa bowls is thoughtful… heck, it’d give you hero status. Trust me.

Visit Montana Mex‘s Official Website for more information and read more about their delicious Avocado Oil here.

I’ve been obsessed with all things coconut for as long as I can remember. In fact, I remember when I was a little girl my mom would have to buy two bags of coconut when she was making a coconut cake – one for the cake and one for me.

I can still taste the coconut as I retrieved it from the bag! One little handful after the next.

So it’s no wonder that coconut water is one of my favorite things in the history of favorite things. Not only is coconut water insanely delicious, it’s healthy. One of the healthiest things it does for you, of course, is it keeps you from reaching for soft drinks!

Not surprisingly, I’ve found ways to work coconut water into my daily life. Harmless Coconut Water makes this as easy as it gets – Not only is their coconut water fresh and delicious, the bottles are designed in a “hand friendly” way that makes them ideal for carrying on walks or hikes.

I love when drink companies think things through.

Actually, they’ve thought a lot of things through at Harmless Harvest. It’s as though the phrase, “Doing things the right way” was invented for them.

Harmless Harvest envisions a world where nutritious, clean, organic and healthy food and beverages are the standard rather than the exception; where all people involved in creating the product are treated with fairness; and the planet is treated harmlessly. – Read more of the Harmless Harvest Story…

Harmlessly.

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Harmless Coconut Water

When you buy a bottle of Harmless Coconut Water, you might find that the water is actually pink. It’s completely natural and, if you ask me, pretty cool. What can I say? It wears it well.

Since I am nowhere near a scientist and couldn’t sound remotely scientific if I were paid to, I’ll let Harmless Harvest explain the “Pretty in Pink” phenomenon: Coconut water contains naturally occurring variations in levels of antioxidants, such as polyphenols, that can turn pink. All of our coconut water is clear when bottled; however some bottles turn pink with time when the antioxidants interact with light. Darker pinks are usually associated with a higher expression of PPO (polyphenol oxidase), one of the many active enzymes in our water. A higher PPO count can be due to the particular crop, season, etc. Read More…

Harmless Coconut Water: Oh So Pretty in Pink

Obviously, a coconut fiend like me is going to love her coconut water straight from the bottle – I’m so hardcore like that – but my favorite way to enjoy Harmless Coconut Water is actually in smoothies. It has a more intense, nutty flavor than other coconut waters on the market which makes it perfect for smoothies.

When it comes to smoothies, part of the fun is choosing your own fruits and “extras,” but the recipe below is my go-to smoothie recipe of the moment. Sometimes I’m a little more heavy-handed with the frozen raspberries than the peaches and other times I flip it and go nuts with the peaches.

Harmless Harvest Coconut Water and frozen pineapple (as you’d imagine) also make knock-out smoothies. While I’m deathly allergic to them, personally, I’d imagine that mangoes would also rock in a Harmless Coconut Water smoothie.

Raspberry, Peach, and Coconut Water Smoothie

I will be experimenting with a lot more Harmless Coconut Water Smoothies and will post the recipes on Get Cooking. It’s that time of year when I just can’t get enough smoothies and Harmless Harvest Coconut Water has opened up a whole new world of possibilities.

Look for Harmless Coconut Water in your grocery store. I’ve found them at Meijer’s and Kroger. They are found in the refrigerated section, hanging out with other delicious and healthy food. See the Locator page for more information.

BFree’s breads, wraps, and bagels aren’t just gluten free and wheat free, they’re also dairy free and egg free – meaning they’re perfect for A LOT of different people.

This review is for their two amazing wraps – the Quinoa & Chia Seed Wrap and the traditional white tortilla style wrap. Both are outrageously delicious and, because they’re very pliable, the possibilities are endless.

I’ve used each for sandwich wraps and they blew me away with their pliability. I’ve come to expect “issues” with gluten free wraps – and by “issues” I mean that the whole shebang ends up on a heap in the middle of my plate, creating a kind of unattractive wrap salad.

My favorite ways to enjoy the traditional style wrap:

Rice, Tomato, and Eggs Breakfast Bowl (pictured at the top)

Black Beans, Cilantro, Cheese and Rice Bowl – top with guacamole or salsa and it’s HEAVEN!

BFree wraps are as excellent as every other BFree product I’ve had. There’s little doubt in my mind that soon… very soon… BFree will be a household name in every gluten free, vegan, and dairy free kitchen in the country.

Not long ago, my oldest daughter Emily told me about a delicious new snack in a “pouch” that she’d found in the produce section of Kroger. For better or worse, she and I have almost identical taste in most things in life, including food, so I knew I had to try it out.

On my next trip to Kroger, sure enough, I saw the downright cute little pouches – Energyfruits Superfood Snacks. I grabbed one of the Strawberry, Kiwi, and Kale and one of the Orange, Beet, and Carrot pouches. I’m nothing if not disturbingly patient, so I waited a whole 1 minute when I got in my car to taste one. One tiny sampling of the Strawberry, Kiwi, and Kale told me I had a brand new snack addiction.

The next morning, I tried the Orange, Beet, and Carrot pouch and discovered that it was just as delicious as the first.

I don’t know what I expected, to be honest, but these little guys blew me away. THEY ARE SO GOOD. If, like me, you love apples and applesauce, you’ll fall head over heels for these as fast as I did. They taste fresh, wholesome, flavorful, and… well… freaking delicious.

I’ll let Energyfruits’ website tell you how uncommonly healthy they are for you, I’ll just stick to the basics:

I was recently sent a few boxes of CedarLane’s Quinoa & Vegetable Enchiladas with Poblano Crema Sauce to review on Get Cooking. I get extra excited when I’m given the opportunity to do Gluten Free Food Reviews because not only does it feel like an extra special treat for me (as well as my oldest daughter who also has to eat gluten free) – I love telling you about the best gluten free food options on the market.

I also LOVE seeing so many companies dedicating themselves to coming up with delicious, healthy, and safe gluten free food. I hope you’ll support these companies as much as we do. They’re showing us love, so let’s show it right back! It’s especially easy when the food is uncommonly delicious, which is the case with CedarLane foods. A while back, I reviewed one of my favorite “go to” gluten free meals (CedarLane Sweet Corn Tamales Review), which is also from CedarLane.

Take it from me, these people redefine delicious. Everything I’ve tasted from CedarLane is extraordinary – as in every single bite blows my mind.

The CedarLane Quinoa & Vegetable Enchiladas are as delicious as their Sweet Corn Tamales, which is REALLY saying something. My husband and I enjoyed them a few nights ago with a great salad. One bite in, we found ourselves raving about all of the fresh flavors and the crema on top was ridiculously good.

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CedarLane Enchiladas: So much flavor!

These enchiladas are fantastic, as is, but I also enjoy them with a little chopped salad right on top – lettuce, tomato, and avocado play extra well with the delicious flavors. Look for CedarLane’s Quinoa & Vegetable Enchiladas, Sweet Corn Tamales, and other foods in the frozen section of your grocery store. In the Kroger stores near me, they’re in the frozen section of the gluten free department.

Read more about CedarLane Foods on their website…. but, most importantly, buy these gluten free foods on your next trip to the store. They are beyond wonderful.

I’m an absolute fanatic when it comes to delicious snack bars. I almost have at least one with me in my purse, in case of emergencies – whether it’s a “low blood sugar” emergency or “I need chocolate before I snap” emergency, a bar is the answer.

Some of my favorites are the Skinny Girl on the Go bars. Naturally, as someone who has to eat gluten free, my options are kind of limited. The Skinny Girl bars are so freaking delicious, I’d buy them even if I could eat all the gluten in the world. They are simply amazing.

One of my favorite things under the sun is potatoes – white potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, sweet potatoes… you say “potatoes” and you have my undivided attention. Sweet potatoes are kind of the dessert of the potato world, which means they have a very special place in my sweet-tooth-inclined heart. So when I got a chance to review gluten free snacks made from sweet potatoes, I jumped at the chance.

The fact that I am a Kentuckian made it even sweeter for me since these strips are made right here in the bluegrass.

These are Wyld Strips (“The Simple Sweet Potato Snack“) and I’m excited to say that they taste as good as I’d hoped they would.

Wyld Strips are available in two equally delicious varieties:

Coconut Date

Sweet Potato Pie

Each is made from simple ingredients, beginning with the sweetest of spuds, sweet potatoes. I couldn’t say which of these strips is my favorite if I had to – because the delicious flavor of sweet potato comes through brilliantly in each. Coconut, another personal favorite, is a beautiful addition in the Coconut Date strips.

Wyld Kitchen has more planned in the way of healthy snacks and I can’t wait to see where their creativeness takes them. If future endeavors are as tasty as this one, my taste buds are going to enjoy every step of the journey!

Click through to read more about Wyld Strips and to try some for yourself. This would be a great gluten free and healthy snack to throw in lunch boxes and to keep on hand for healthier snacking. They’re the perfect size to stick in your pocket or purse or to even keep in your desk.

Let’s face it, we’re all going to snack… we should at least snack smart. Thanks to Wyld Strips, we can do that without compromising the deliciousness we expect from our snacks.